Dispenser



Feb. 2, 1965 K. c. DE GoN 3,168,213

DISPENSER Filed Oct. 17, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 SMU Wim' 3,163,213 Dl-SPENSER Kenneth C. De Gon, Alexandria, Va., assigner to General Reneries, lne., St. Paul, Minn., a corporation ot Minnesota Filed ct. 17, 1963, Ser. No. 316,849 6 Claims. (Cl. 221%) This invention relates to a dispenser for silver or silver alloy pellets and mercury for producing dental amalgams.

An object or" my invention is to provide a new and improved dispenser of simple and inexpensive construction and operation for electing dispensing of the components used in producing dental amalgams, and consisting in liquid mercury and pellets or wafers of silver or silver alloy.

Another object of my invention is to provide a novel apparatus for substantially simultaneously dispensing mercury in a predetermined quantity which may be varied according to the proportions desired, and a silver or silver alloy pellet or wafer without causing any dam age to or mutilation of the pellet even though the pellet may vary, accidentally or intentionally, from a desired size and particular thickness.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved and novel dispenser for liquid mercury and silver pellets or wafers, and wherein the dispenser is well adapted to be held in a persons hand while being operated and then stored upon a table or bench top, or on the other hand may be mounted upon a wall to be continuously available and convenient to use.

A still further object of my invention is the provision of a new and novel silver pellet and liquid mercury dispensing apparatus which provides for the substantial simultaneous dispensing of a silver pellet containing a prescribed quantity or" silver or silver alloy, and also liquid mercury in a quantity which may be varied over a wide range, but which may be minutely controlled so that the dental amalgam will have the prescribed proportions of ingredients as is desired for the use intended.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention shown attached to a wall and illustrating the manner in which the dispenser is operated when so mounted;

FIG, 2 is a top plan view of the invention illustrating the manner in which the dispenser is operated when the dispenser is to be hand-held during operation, and normally stored upon a work table, bench or the like;

FIG, 3 is a side elevation view of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a detail longitudinal section view taken substantially at 4-4 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a detail section view taken approximately at 5 5 in FIG. 4;

FG. 6 is -a detail section view taken approximately at 6 6 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a detail section View taken approximately at '7-7 in FIG. 4, and

FIG. 8 is a front elevation view of the invention identical to that illustrated in FIGS. l-7 and having certain additions thereto facilitating the supplying of pellets to the dispenser in an alternative manner.

The dispenser is indicated in general by numeral 1t) and includes a frame or body member 11 having a forward head portion 12, and an integrally formed elongate and rigid, rearwardly extending mounting and grip 3,168,213 Patented Feb. 2, 1965 member 13 having a depending and upright wall mounting plate 14. on the rear end thereof. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the lower edge 15 of the wall-mounting plate 14 provides a foot or shoe for engaging a table top T in supporting the dispenser 1d. It will be recognized that the wall-mounting plate 14 has a plurality of apertures 16 to receive wall-mounting screws 17 when the dispenser 10 is to be mounted on a wall W as illustrated in FIG. l. The forward head portion 12 of the body member 11 has a pair of elongate and transversely eX- tending guideways 1h and 19 respectively extending entirely therethrough. The guideway 19 has an elongate cylindrical sleeve-like bushing or slide bearing 20 afxedly mounted therein. Whereas the frame or body member 11 is constructed of rigid molded plastic, it is preferable that the bushing 20 be constructed of high grade steel to form an etective bushing or slide bearing. The bushing 2t) is cylindrical in interior configuration, and as best seen in FIG. 5 one end portion 21 of the bushing projects endwise outwardly from the side of the head portion 12 of the body member.

The guideway 18 will be seen to be in the shape of a ilat and substantially rectangular slot opening transversely of the head portion 12 in both opposite directions and also opening through the front face 22 of the head portion 12. The slot or guideway 18 has an elongate recess 23 in the upper portion thereof for purposes hereinafter more fully described. It will be seen that the head portion 12 of the body member 13 has a pair of transversely outwardly extending projections or guiding lips 24 respectively disposed above and below the slot 18.

The dispenser 10 is also provided with a slide, indicated in general by numeral 25 to eect dispensing of silver or silver alloy pellets P which are supplied in a cartridge C, and substantially simultaneously with the dispensing of a quantity of mercury M which may be stored in a reservoir 26 having a cylindrical sidewall 27 Yai'lxed as by sealing during molding of the body member 13 into a recess 28 formed in the top of the head portion 12. The reservoir 26 is provided with a removable cap 29 having an air inlet aperture 29a therein and being threadably secured to the upper end of the reservoir sidewall 27 so as to facilitate additional supplying of the mercury M into the reservoir. It will be seen that the head portion 12 of the body member 13 has a mercury supplying opening or port 30 communicating between the recess 28 which forms a part of the reservoir 26, and the guideway 1?. The bushing 20 also has a supply opening or port 31 aligned with the port 3i) to facilitate the supplying of mercury from the reservoir 26 into the interior of the bushing 20.

It will be further seen that the cartridge C comprises a tube, conveniently constructed of generally rigid plastic material, and the cartridge C extends into a pellet supply opening or port 32 in the upper portion of the head 12 and communicating downwardly with the guideway or slot 18 and at a location directly opposite or adjacent the port 39. The cartridge C frictionally engages the periphery of the opening 32 but is readily removable therefrom to facilitate replacement of the cartridge.

The slide 25 includes an elongate rigid stripper plate 33 having Ia pellet-receiving and carrying aperture 34 therein which is normally aligned with the opening 32 of the head 12. The stripper plate extends through the slot 18 and is guided in sliding movement along the slot 18. It will be understood that the recess 23 at the top of slot 18 provides su'icient clearance or relief at the upper side of plate v33 so that in the event the pellets P may vary slightly in thickness, the pellets will be movable with the stripper plate 33.

Vpistons 38 and 39 which are secured to the end members 36 and 35 respectively. The rod or piston 39 is permanently ahxed to end member 35 and the rod 39 is constructed of high grade steel permanently molded into the plastic end member 35. The piston of rod 38 is provided with a threaded stern 40 which is aixed thereto or formed integrally thereof which extends endwise outwardly and through the end member 36. The stem 4t) is threaded in a suitably provided thread aperture 41 of end member 36 so that the longitudinal location of the piston or rod 38 is adjustable with respect to the end member 36 and with respect to the rod or piston 39.

It will be seen that the pistons 38 and 39 are disposed in end-:to-end relation with each other and are both slidably mounted in the sleeve bushing 20. The piston 38 is also rotatable in the sleeve bushing for adjustment. The pistons 38 and 39 cooperate with each other and with the bushing 20 in dening an open and unobstructed cylindrical mercury-measuring chamber 42 which may be enlarged or diminished in size by longitudinal adjustment of piston 38.

It will further be noted that a lock nut 43 is threaded on stem 40 and a knurled thumb piece 44 is ailixed on the en d of stem 40. A coil compression spring 45 encompasses the outwardly extending end portion of bushing 21 and also the outer end of piston 39 and bears endwise against the side of head 12 and against the end member 35 to normally urge the slide 25 to the position illustrated in the drawing wherein the aperture 34 of stripper plate 33 is aligned with the pellet supply opening 32 and the mercury measuring chamber 4Z is aligned with the mercury supply port 30.

The advantages in the construction of slide are to be noted. Close tolerances in the cylindrical pistons 38 and 39 are easily maintained to provide an effective seal with respect to the interior of bushing 20 for electively moving a quantity ,of mercury within the chamber 42 as the slide is urged inwardly in the direction of arrow A. It Will be understood that liquid mercury has unique characteristics and properties as a liquid and does readily adhere to surfaces which are engaged thereby. The close tolerances that are and can be maintained between the cylindrical pistons 38 and 39 and the interior of bushing 20 cause all of the mercury which flows into the chamber 42 from the reservoir 26 to be carried along with the slide when moved. Furthermore, it will be noted that the chamber 42 is cylindrical and has an open and unobstructed interior so as to minimize the surface area to which the liquid mercury is likely to adhere. While these advantages in connection with the measuring and l plate 33. The advantages of employing a iiat plate 33 for stripping the pellets from the bottom of the stack are fairly obvious. When the pellet in the aperture 34 is moved away from the opening 32 and head 12, the next above pellet in the stack merely slips down and rests upon the plate 33 until the emptied aperture 34 returns into alignment therewith.

The head 12 has a mercury-discharging port 46 and a pellet-discharging port 47 in the lower portion thereof and respectively disposed below the guideways 19`and 18. The bushing 20 also has a discharge port 48 aligned with the port 46. It will be noted, particularly in FIG. 7, that the discharge ports 46 and 47 are disposed in side-by-side relation with each other so that the mercury and pellet are discharged simultaneously as the slide 25 is manually moved in fthe direction of arrow A.

A tunneling spout 49 is formed integrally of head 12 on the lower portion thereof and surrounds the mercury and pellet discharging ports 46 and 47. The spout 49 has a central discharge openingStl and a guide 51 around the periphery of the opening td accommodate the open end of a capsule into which the mercury and pellet are to be collected for mixing. Such a capsule is seen in dotted lines in FIG. 5 and is of the type commonly employed for mixing the components in producing a dental amalgam.

The head 1.2 also has a small dust-discharging port 52 disposed below the cartridge-receiving opening 32 and in substantial alignment therewith for permitting dust and small particles which may flake off the pellets P to be discharged so'that the slot 18 and recess 23 will remain in a clean condition and so as to prevent buildup of material in the slot which would otherwise be likely to fou the operation of slide 25. Y The head 12 also has a pair of fore-and-aft supporting plates 53 and 54 respectively disposed at opposite sides of the funneling spout 49 and extending downwardly below the guide 51 so that the edges 55 of said plates are disposed in a common plane with the edge 15 of plate 14. As seen in FIG. 3, the plates 53 and 54 cooperate with the plate 14 in supporting the dispenser 10 upon a table top T Iand thereby conveniently adapt the dispenser 10 to be manually gripped in the fashion illustrated in FIG. 2 by a persons hand H for operating the slide 25. It will further be seen that when the dispenser lil is mounted upon a wall W as illustrated in FIG. l, the operator of the dispenser may engage his hand against the slide 25 and against one of the plates 53 or 54 so as to efficiently operate the slide 25 in a dispensing operation.

In FIG. 8 the dispenser 1G is identical in all respects to the'dispenser 10 illustrated in FIGS. 1-7 and further, has a pair of upstanding pegs 55, preferably of molded plastic and rigidly molded into the head 12 of frame 11 transversely of the pellet supply opening 32. The pegs 55 adapt the dispenser 10 for mounting a cartridge C' (alternatively to the use of a cartridge C) which may have a plurality of pellet-containing tubes 56 in side-byside relation. It will be seen that the pegs 55 may extend linto the ends ot the cartridge C while another of the tubes is aligned with the supply opening 32 for directing the pellets thereinto. When one of the tubes is emptied, the cartridge C will be repositioned upon the head 12 to align another of the tubes with the supply opening 32. 'Any of the tubes 56 which is neither aligned with the supply opening 32 nor in engagement with one of the pegs 55 may be closed by a suitable stopper as illustrated at 57.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the parts without departing from the scope of my invention which consists of the matter shown and described herein and set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. A dispenser for liquid mercury and silver pellets for vuse in producing dental amalgams,

comprising a frame having an elongate stripper platereceiving slot extending therethrough and also having an elongate guide-way therethrough extending parallel with said slot and in side-by-side relation with said slot, said guideway having a cylindrical sleeve-like bushing ailixed therein, said frame and bushing having upper portions and also having aligned mercury-supply openings in said upper portions to facilitate application of liquid mercury into said bushing, the upper portion of said frame also having a pellet supply opening communicating with said slot,V said frame and bushing also having lower portions with pellet and mercury discharging ports spaced from said supply openings and adjacent each other'and respectively communicating with said slot and guideway,

a slide eiiecting measuring and dispensing of mercury and dispensing of a silver pellet, said slide including a pair of end members spaced from each other, a pellet-stripping plate slidably mounted in said slot and rigidly atlixed to said end members, said plate having a pellet-receiving and carrying aperture theresaid mercury supply opening, means securing one of said pistons to one end of the stripper element, adjustable means connecting the other of said pistons to the other end of said stripper element,

whereby to substantially simultaneously discharge a silver pellet and a measured quantity of mercury. 4. A dispenser for directing liquid mercury and silver pellets into a mixing capsule for use in producing dental amalgams,

cal rods in spaced and end-to-end relation with each other and slidably mounted within said bushing in mercury-sealing relation to cooperate with said bushing in defining a mercury-measuring chamber therebetween, one of said rods having an outer end mined quantities of mercury along with the silver in a pellet for forming a dental amalgam.

comprising a body member having transverse sides and a front head portion with mercury and pellet-supplying means and also having discharge means including a depending pellet and mercury discharge spout with a discharge opening and a capsule guide around rigidly aiiixed to one of said end members and havthe periphery of the discharge opening to receive the infy an inner end extending to said mercury supply open end of such a capsule, openings, the other of said rods having an inner end an elongate rigid mounting and grip member affixed on within said bushing and also having a reduced and the body member and extending rearwardly therethreaded outer end threadably mounted in the other from, said member having a rear end and depending of said end members to facilitate axial adjustment wall mounting plate on said rear end, said plate havthereof to change the capacity of said mercury-measing a lower edge to be supported upon a table, uring chamber, said rods being longitudinally mova pair of fore and aft supporting plates aflixed to and able in said bushing to move said chamber into depending from said body member on opposite sides alignment with said mercury discharging port, of said spout and transversely thereof, said supportwhereby to facilitate dispensing of accurate predetering plates having lower edges spaced below said spout and capsule guide, said supporting and mounting plates cooperating to support the body member upon such a table,

and a dispensing slide extending transversely of the body member and movably mounted thereon, said slide having means carrying pellets and mercury from 2. The invention set forth in claim 1 wherein said slot has approximate thickness of the plate to guide the plate in sliding movement,

said frame having a recess at the top of the slot between said opening and said port whereby to accommodate pellets of thickness in excess of the thickness of the plate.

said supply means to said discharge means when the siide is moved, and said slide also having a spring normally urging the slide in one endwise direction,

said slide also having engaging means at one end thereof against which a persons finger may bear to operate the slide while another finger bears against 3. A dispenser for liquid mercury and sliver pellets for use in producing dental amalgams,

comprising a frame having a pair of parallel and spaced guideways extending therethrough, said frame also one of the support plates. having an upper portion above said guideways and 5. The invention set forth in claim 1 wherein said having a pair of supply openings each communicatframe is provided with a pair of upstanding pegs adjacent ing through said upper portion with a respective the pellet supply opening, guideway for supplying mercury and pellets to the and a pellet cartridge having a plurality of openrespective guideways, said frame also having a lower ended tubes containing pellets, one of said tubes beportion below said guideways and having mercury ing aligned and in communication with said pellet and pellet-discharging openings therethrough and supply opening, said pegs projecting into other of communicating with said guideways, said discharging said tubes and removably mounting the cartridge openings being spaced along said guideways from said thereon. supply openings, 6. The invention set forth in claim 1 wherein said busha slide effecting measuring and dispensing of mercury ing extends endwise outwardly of said frame in guiding and dispensing of a silver pellet, said slide including a relation with one of said rods, rigid stripper element extending through one of said a Coil Spring encompassing said bushing and the corguideways and being slidable therein, said stripper eiement having opposite ends and also having a pellet-receiving and carrying aperture therein for successively receiving, moving and discharging a pellet as the slide is moved,

said slide also including a pair of pistons slidably responding rod and bearing endwise against said frame and the corresponding end member of the slide,

and said frame also including stripper plate-guiding projections extending outwardly from the frame along the stripper plate and adjacent said bushing, said projections defining a stop against which said last mentioned end member may bear to limit the movement of the slide.

No references cited. 

1. A DISPENSER FOR LIQUID MERCURY AND SILVER PELLETS FOR USE IN PRODUCING DENTAL AMALGAMS, COMPRISING A FRAME HAVING AN ELONGATE STRIPPER PLATERECEIVING SLOT EXTENDING THERETHROUGH AND ALSO HAVING AN ELONGATE GUIDE-WAY THERETHROUGH EXTENDING PARALLEL WITH SAID SLOT AND IN SIDE-BY-SIDE RELATION WITH SAID SLOT, SAID GUIDEWAY HAVING A CYLINDRICAL SLEEVE-LIKE BUSHING AFFIXED THEREIN, SAID FRAME AND BUSHING HAVING UPPER PORTIONS AND ALSO HAVING ALIGNED MERCURY-SUPPLY OPENINGS IN SAID UPPER PORTIONS TO FACILITATE APPLICATION OF LIQUID MERCURY INTO SAID BUSHING, THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID FRAME ALSO HAVING A PELLET SUPPLY OPENING COMMUNICATING WITH SAID SLOT, SAID FRAME AND BUSHING ALOS HAVING LOWER PORTIONS WITH PELLET AND MERCURY DISCHARGING PORTS SPACED FROM SAID SUPPLY OPENINGS AND ADJACENT EACH OTHER AND RESPECTIVELY COMMUNICATING WITH SAID SLOT AND GUIDEWAY, A SLIDE EFFECTING MEASURING AND DISPENSING OF MERCURY AND DISPENSING OF A SILVER PELLET, SAID SLIDE INCLUDING A PAIR OF END MEMBERS SPACED FROM EACH OTHER, A PELLET-STRIPPING PLATE SLIDABLY MOUNTED IN SAID SLOT AND RIGIDLY AFFIXED TO SAID END MEMBERS, SAID PLATE HAVING A PELLET-RECEIVING AND CARRYING APERTURE THERETHROUGH AND ALIGNED WITH SAID PELLET-SUPPLY OPENING OF THE FRAME, SAID PLATE BEING MOVABLE IN THE SLOT TO MOVE SAID APERTURE THEREIN INTO ALIGNMENT WITH SAID PELLET DISCHARGING PORT, SAID SLIDE ALSO INCLUDING A PAIR OF COOPERATING CYLINDRICAL RODS IN SPACED AND END-TO-END RELATION WITH EACH OTHER AND SLIDABLY MOUNTED WITHIN SAID BUSHING IN MERCURY-SEALING RELATION TO COOPERATE WITH SAID BUSHING IN DEFINING A MERCURY-MEASURING CHAMBER THEREBETWEEN, ONE OF SAID RODS HAVING AN OUTER END RIGIDLY AFFIXED TO ONE OF SAID END MEMBERS AND HAVING AN INNER END EXTENDING TO SAID MERCURY SUPPLY OPENINGS, THE OTHER OF SAID RODS HAVING AN INNER END WITHIN SAID BUSHING AND ALSO HAVING A REDUCED AND THREADED OUTER END THREADABLY MOUNTED IN THE OTHER OF SAID END MEMBERS TO FACILITATE AXIAL ADJUSTMENT THEREOF TO CHANGE THE CAPACITY OF SAID MERCURY-MEASURING CHAMBER, SAID RODS BEING LONGITUDINALLY MOVABLE IN SAID BUSHING TO MOVE SAID CHAMBER INTO ALIGNMENT WITH SAID MERCURY DISCHARGING PORT, WHEREBY TO FACILITATE DISPENSING OF ACCURATE PREDETERMINED QUANTITIES OF MERCURY ALONG WITH THE SILVER IN A PELLET FOR FORMING A DENTAL AMALGAM. 